Evaluation of soil pollution and chemical weathering in the Yusufiya and Dujaila Areas In Iraq using environmental pollution factors

Abstract EN

Seventeen sediment samples were collected from Yusufyiah area, Baghdad Governorate and twelve samples were collected from Dujaila area, Wasit Governorate.

The samples have been analyzed for chemical constituents Fe2O3, Al2O3, CaO, K2O and Na2O, Co, Zn, Cu, Ni, and Pb elements to detect the pollution in the study sediments using the indices; geo-accumulation (I-geo), contamination factor (CF), and pollution load index (PLI), as well as to investigate the intensity of chemical weathering by Applying the Chemical Index of Alteration (CIA).

The results reflect that the average values of concentrations of the investigated chemical constituents were relatively lower in Dujaila area, sites than the Yusufyiah area except for Cu and Zn concentrations.

The results of I-geo presents unpolluted sediment with Pb and Co and slightly polluted with Zn, Cu, and Ni in both Yusufyiah and Dujaila, while in Yusufyiah some sites indicating of moderately polluted sediments with Ni and slightly polluted to moderately polluted sediments with Cu and Zn and reach moderately severely polluted in some Dujaila sites.

The CF for Ni and Cu recognized class 2 which indicate moderately contamination to severely polluted sites in both Yusufyiah and Dujaila areas, Pb2+ and Zn2+in both areas recognized class 2 representing moderate contamination and class 1 representing a low contamination in some samples.

Cobalt (Co) in both areas recognized as low to moderate contamination.

The Pollution Load Index (PLI) for Co, Zn, Cu, Ni, and Pb is representing class 2 of local pollution in both areas.

Investigate the Chemical Index of Alteration (CIA) values reflecting the chemical weathering intensity at incipient zone for both studied areas.

It was noticed that the values of CIA for the Yusufyiah area which reached 38.1 relatively higher than that for Dujaila area which reached 29.9.